Ben Foster has tagged Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk as the ‘best defender that has ever lived’ before his ACL injury.
Ben Foster who spoke in his Fozcast podcast claimed that the defender to him was the best before he was seriously injured in his knee.
The defender was on the receiving end of a heavy tackle from England number one goalkeeper Pickford in the Merseyside derby.
This came a few months after the defender played a vital role in Liverpool winning the Premier League title in the 2019/20 campaign.
Ben Foster also noted that the defender was even named UEFA Men’s Player of the Year, the only defender to ever win the award.
At that time, the Netherlands international was also tipped to win the Ballon d’Or award but Lionel Messi won it ahead of him.
In an interview where the 32-year-old was asked how he felt after the injury, he admitted that his “world collapsed” at the time.
However, Ben Forster believes Van Dijk has lost some of his pace and insisted that no defender in history could match his records before the injury.
Speaking on his Fozcast podcast, Ben Foster said: “Virgil van Dijk. I think for three years in a row, he was the best center-back in the world.”
The former goalkeeper went on to add in the podcast, “He had a bad injury and is probably still finding his feet from that.
“Virgil van Dijk, peak of his powers, is the best defender that has ever lived. I genuinely believe that. When Liverpool are winning the Champions League and Premier League, Virgil is the number one.
“People have just got short memories and the cruciate ligament injury has probably taken a yard of pace off him.”
Who is Ben Foster?
Ben Anthony Foster is an English former professional footballer who was born 3rd, April 1983 and played as a goalkeeper.
He also runs a YouTube channel, “The Cycling GK”, and The Fozcast podcast.
Ben Foster began his professional career in 2001 with Stoke City, having joined from Racing Club Warwick.
He switched permanently to Manchester United in July 2005, but again struggled to break into the first team, and spent two successive seasons on loan to Watford from August 2005 until the end of the 2006–07 season.
Virgil Van Dijk
Van Dijk is a Dutch footballer who was born on 8th July, 1991 and plays as a center-back for and captains both Liverpool and the Netherlands national team.
He is a physically strong, right-footed center-back, who usually features on the left-hand side of central defense, although he can also play as a right-sided center-back.
Virgil van Dijk is gifted with pace, good technique, and an eye for goal, and is an effective set-piece taker.
